Pètros82
Toronto, ON M5V 1P7
Pètros82 is the latest offering from Peter and Paul's, serving up an authentic Greek experience in the middle of the city. The name pays homage to the fact that owner Peter Eliopoulos has been in the hospitality industry since 1982, and Pètros82 is his love letter to his native Greece. Find authentic Greek decor alongside a hearty Mediterranean menu that specializes in fresh seafood. It also brings the wow factor with a walk-in wine cellar brimming with wines from Greece and other notable European wineries.
The Food
The fresh calamari is plucked from ice and grilled immediately, says executive chef Tony Andrady. The result is a full-bodied flavour complimented by tomatoes and herbs. "A steak is a steak, a lamb is a lamb, but there aren't too many places in the city that let you pick your own fish. It's pretty unique," he says.
The octopus is also grilled fresh to order and plucked from the seafood bar, garnished with one of chef Andrady's three mother sauces. It creates a rich flavour profile that's both hearty and comforting.
As fish is the restaurant's specialty, fish is heavily highlighted on the menu. "We try to bring in fresh fish every two days, " Andrady explains. "We don't have fish on the menu. When people walk in, hosts and servers bring you to the fish bar and you get to pick your fish. We take it to the kitchen, and we grill it." It's then cooked to their preference and paired with one of Andrady's mother sauces, served to perfection.
For a sweet treat, the sugar-coated doughnuts are paired with fresh fruit and a unique baklava ice cream. They're shareable or can be enjoyed as an individual portion.
The Drinks
The gin-based Petros Potion offers fruity notes and, like all of the other cocktails on the menu, is infused with traditional Greek spirits.
The Santorini Sunrise is an agave-based cocktail that nods to the popularity of tequila in the city. In it, the flavour is mixed with a unique spirit to create a Greek-inspired flavour. "There was a lot of trial and error with working with Greek spirits," explains wine director and operations manager Antonio Sabato. "We didn't want to give a cocktail that was too overpowering, we wanted items to complement each other."
Bourbon is the base liquor for the Winter in Mykonos cocktail, designed to settle like a sunset in the cup. It's served with a stirring stick so guests can ensure constant, full flavour with every sip. "Bourbon is already an earth type of flavour, so we went with an herb type of spirit," Sabato explains. "Then, just to sweeten it up a touch, we went with a strawberry guava and just stirred."
The Space
The Marketta serves Greek specialties, including olive oil from Eliopoulos' olive farm in Greece. It's tucked away beside the fresh Seafood Market.
The second floor bar can function as a private event space, or host patrons on busier days. "Each area can be sectioned off to accommodate a private event, like a wedding or a corporate party," says Pètros82's events manager Lesley Bernardi. "And if someone wants to start in one area of the restaurant and end up in another, we can make that happen."
The space kept some of the Montecito decor, explains Bernardi. The lighting on the stairs and the lamps in the hallway pay homage to the previous version of the space, while the white colour palette, terracotta pots and blue pops are Greek tributes.